Best First Hours

killzone

My experience with the Killzone series is rather limited. A couple
months ago, I reviewed the first hour of Killzone 2's campaign, noting
that I might keep going. I did end up running through another hour or
so, but it takes something special to keep me interested in an FPS
campaign, and Killzone 2 didn't have much of the sort. And though I
planned on giving multiplayer a try, I never got around to it.

So
when The First Hour was given a code for the Killzone 3 multiplayer
beta, I wasn't sure I was the man for the job. I've never really been
drawn into the world of online play in shooters -- the exception being
Uncharted 2, which I played regularly for a few months when it launched
-- so I don't have many comparisons to use for my experiences with the
Killzone 3 beta. Luckily, I've heard plenty of commentary regarding
Killzone 3 versus other shooters over the in-game voice chat that I can
relay. And, surprisingly, I witnessed no personal attacks or
foul-mouthed adolescents...and only one instance of a microphone being
left in front of a stereo playing nothing but Madonna hits from the 80s. I guess that's a fringe benefit of a semi-private beta.

I've
spent about four hours on the battlefields of Helghan, and I think I
have a good enough grasp on the Killzone 3 multiplayer beta to make a
report. I tried briefly looking around news sites and message boards for
a comprehensive outline of the beta's features but didn't find any.
With that in mind, I think I've constructed a pretty detailed outline of
what's going on in Killzone 3 at the moment (at least as of Halloween,
anyway).

All in all, despite my indifference to the
franchise and its genre before jumping in, and the brief re-introduction
to dual-analog that saw many deaths and few kills in my first hour of
play...I have to say, I'm enjoying the Killzone 3 experience a lot more
than I thought I would thus far. Or, what little of it is available in
the current beta, anyway. Hit the jump for all the details floating around in my head.

Back at E3 2005, Sony showed off two minutes of "in-engine footage"
of a highly detailed military shooter. The visuals were unmatched by
anything previously seen in a video game, and PlayStation fans went
nuts. In the comings days, Sony eventually backpedaled from their
initial claim and admitted that the footage wasn't pulled from any
gameplay architecture, and was instead a target render "done to PS3
spec." In a matter of weeks, Killzone 2 went from the new standard of
visuals to a fraud.

Sony knew there was some damage control to be
done here, and a few years later, the same footage was shown with
in-engine graphics. Amazingly, few could tell the difference between the
CG target render and the real deal, and the hype train left the station
for good. At its launch in early 2009, many media outlets were calling
Killzone 2's graphics unparalleled.

My interest in the game had always been lukewarm, considering my waning affinity for military-style first person shooters. Several Call of Duty titles had already come and gone, and none had left a lasting impression upon completion.
I hadn't played either of the two previous Killzone games -- who has?
-- but I decided to give Killzone 2 a shot anyway. After all, I've got
access to a pretty amazing HDTV and surround-sound system, so I might as
well put them to use.

Like scampering down the stairs on Christmas morning, the excited search for a steady video feed before E3 conferences is filled with anticipation. The annual summer happening is one of the few times on the gaming industry's calendar when we can look forward to some surprise delights from the many publishers playing the role of Santa Claus in business suits. Simply put, it's the industry's biggest event in the year.

As such, the editors of The First Hour tried to guess what unexpected pleasures would manifest at the event. Some were sure bets, like Microsoft showing off Halo: Reach. Others were more risky, like F-Zero hitting the 3DS at launch. And some were planted firmly outside the realm of possibility, with Shenmue 3 topping that list as always.

When all was said and done, The First Hour hit a few out of the park...but mostly struck out.